Case report highlights endoscopic ablation for canine vaginal bleeding

A new case report in Frontiers in Veterinary Science details a minimally invasive solution for a difficult, chronic problem: persistent vaginal bleeding in a dog that had continued for three years despite repeated workup and prior intervention. The report, published July 23, 2026, describes successful endoscopic-guided monopolar electrocautery ablation of a hemorrhagic vaginal lesion in a 7-year-old spayed Labrador retriever, with no recurrence of bleeding reported seven months later. The authors say this is the first known published report of this technique being applied to a bleeding vaginal lesion in a dog. (frontiersin.org)

The case comes from UC Davis and sits at the intersection of two broader trends in small animal medicine: the push toward less invasive procedures, and the ongoing challenge of working up vulvovaginal bleeding in spayed female dogs. In the paper’s introduction, the authors note that non-estrus vulvovaginal hemorrhage can reflect disease localized to the urogenital tract, including neoplasia, trauma, foreign bodies, inflammation, and vascular anomalies, or systemic coagulation disorders. They also point out that while minimally invasive laser-based procedures are already used in dogs for some congenital vaginal and urinary tract abnormalities, vaginal bleeding lesions have historically been managed with open surgery. (frontiersin.org)

In this case, the dog had multiple normal CBCs and normal PT and aPTT results over time, no history suggesting a broader bleeding disorder, and persistent bleeding even when urine cultures were negative. The patient also had mild chronic kidney disease and episodes of E. coli bacteriuria, but antimicrobial treatment did not resolve the hemorrhage. Initial cystourethroscopy and vaginoscopy identified abnormal mucosa and an adherent clot in the caudal vagina, and biopsy returned chronic neutrophilic and lymphoplasmacytic vaginitis. Bleeding briefly improved after that procedure, then returned within a week and gradually worsened, eventually becoming nearly constant according to the report. (frontiersin.org)

At the second referral evaluation, dual-phase abdominal CT showed a 0.5 cm by 1.0 cm focally enhancing region in the vaginal wall, and repeat vaginoscopy identified an enlarged bleeding polypoid lesion in the caudodorsal vaginal wall. Clinicians biopsied the lesion and then performed monopolar electrocautery ablation endoscopically. Histopathology again stopped short of a definitive diagnosis, describing hemorrhage lined by stratified squamous epithelium with neutrophilic exocytosis and no neoplastic cells identified. Even without a final etiologic label, the procedure achieved the clinical goal: the hemorrhage resolved and remained absent through seven months of follow-up. (frontiersin.org)

The report is notable partly because prior literature has leaned on more invasive approaches for similar presentations. The authors cite a previous case of vaginal vascular ectasia in a dog that was treated with total vaginectomy, with bleeding controlled for 19 months before recurrence. Separate published work has also described magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging for diagnosing primary vascular ectasia in a dog, but that case ultimately proceeded to subtotal vaginectomy because lesion extent and anemia made conservative options less suitable. In that context, the new report suggests that when a lesion is small and focal, endoscopic ablation may offer a practical alternative to larger operations. (frontiersin.org)

The authors are careful not to oversell it. They explicitly frame the paper as a single-patient case report and say it cannot establish safety, efficacy, recurrence risk, or broad indications. They also acknowledge a key limitation for clinicians interpreting the case: the lesion’s underlying cause was never definitively determined. Still, they report that the dog tolerated the procedure well, returned quickly to normal activity, and had no further vulvovaginal bleeding or lower urinary tract signs during follow-up. (frontiersin.org)

Why it matters: For veterinarians, the practical takeaway is less about declaring a new standard of care and more about widening the decision tree. A focal, accessible vaginal lesion in a stable patient may be amenable to endoscopic management, particularly when pet parents are hesitant about episiotomy or vaginectomy, or when morbidity reduction is a priority. The case also underscores the value of repeat imaging and endoscopic reassessment when chronic bleeding persists despite nondiagnostic biopsy results and treatment of possible contributing factors such as recurrent bacteriuria or conformational disease. (frontiersin.org)

What to watch: Watch for follow-up case series that define lesion selection criteria, equipment and technique preferences, complication rates, and durability beyond seven months. If more centers report similar outcomes, endoscopic electrocautery could become a more routine referral option for select dogs with focal hemorrhagic vaginal lesions, but for now the evidence remains early and highly case-specific. (frontiersin.org)